BlackNationalism101Class#5 Popularizing Black Nationalism Part2

Black Nationalism 101 Textbooks: Ten Lessons: An Introduction to Black History and Not Dark White: The 411 on Black Nationalism

Instructor: Mba Mbulu

Class #5 [AudioVersion]

Read the Not Dark White Essay that follows. Be able to expound on the following issues.

(1) If We do not make Black Nationalism crystal clear in the minds and hearts of Black People, why will Black People be primed to reject it?
(2) Many individuals assert that Black Nationalism is a flawed ideology. Does that concern you? What can you say to disprove that assertion?
(3) Some individuals assert that Black Nationalism is not necessary. What is your response to that assertion?
(4) Do you agree with reformist-type individuals who suggest that Black People are not ready for self-government or Black Nationhood? Why or why not?
(5) Do you understand the relevance of Black nationalism as a process?

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"Popularizing Black Nationalism" Part 2

We are Black People, We are not dark skinned white people, and We need a Nation of Our own. In order to succeed in this endeavor, We need to define Black Nationalism in such specific terms and with such lucid images that Black individuals cannot confuse it with any other ideology or train of thought. If We do not make Black Nationalism crystal clear in the minds and hearts of Black People, Black People will be primed to reject it.

There are individuals out there, white and dark white, who do not want Black People to understand what Black Nationalism really is. Their mission is to spread the bad word and insinuate, among other things, that Black Nationalism is a flawed ideology, Black Nationalism is not necessary, Black Nationalism will result in the senseless massacre of conservative Blacks and uncle tom negroes and Black Nationalism will result in the useless dying of untold numbers of Black persons at the hands of the United States Army and American paramilitary and intelligence forces. I will briefly address these, and some other claims of similar ilk, in this essay.

#1 Black Nationalism is not a flawed ideology. The historical basis of Black Nationalism is a matter of record; the fact that Black People have been repeatedly lied to and that Black nationalists have not been able to fully undo the lies does not change the fact that Black Nationalism was the primary objective of Black People in America for more than 300 years. A sincere person could read Ten Lessons: An Introduction to Black History, several books by Imari Obadele and a host of other writings that demonstrate the historical legitimacy of Black Nationalism. Black Nationalism is the only route to real equality for Black People in North America, particularly the United States.

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In today's world, a Black nationalist is someone who declares his/her equality in clearer and clearer terms and manifests that equality by how s/he acts on a day to day basis. In that way, positive examples of Black Nationalist behavior will multiply, other Black individuals will follow the lead, and more Blacks will get a better understanding and feel for what Black Nationalism is all about. Black Nationalism aims at getting Black individuals and Black People as a whole to the point where We can make decisions that are not dominated by fear and ignorance. Why? Because an intelligent people, a people who want to be respected and accorded their due, can not make decisions that are dominated by fear and ignorance.

No, it's not that the ideology of Black Nationalism is flawed. The fact of the matter is that most Blacks who reject Black Nationalism have been made flawed. That flaw often manifests itself in the forms of fear and of having been seduced by white money, sucked in by a white standard of living, shifted away from the Black community and swindled, just like the Blacks who supported the slave raids and slave trade hundreds of years ago; swindled into thinking that they would be accepted as equals if they proved they could be the slime that benefactors of white power typically are and carry out the slimy activities that benefactors of white power typically carry out. No, the flaw is not in the ideology of Black Nationalism, it is in those individuals, white and dark white, who don't want Black People to adequately understand all of Our options.

#2 These slimy type individuals, many found in the most prestigious Black and white colleges and universities in the United States, will assert that Black Nationalism is not necessary because reforming the present government will generate a power system that will empower Black People and all other people in the United States. Brothers and Sisters, be for real. Think a little bit. If a glass of water has poison in it, you can not reform the poison out of that water. If a cake has a rotten ingredient in it, you can not reform the rot out of that cake. And, to paraphrase Malcolm X, if you want a duck's egg, you can not get a chicken to lay it. In order to get a duck's egg, you need to forget about that chicken and go in search of a duck, something that is capable of getting the job done. Likewise: In order to acquire real equality, Black People have to establish a system that can produce that equality. Only Black Nationalism is capable of doing that.

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#3 Reformists also assert that Black People are not ready to establish a Black Nation. They say it can't be done right now so We might as well not waste time working on it. I say that is the logic of a con person, a person who thinks Black People are fools. Is it wise to wait until the house catches fire before you start calling around about insurance prices? I don't think so. Is it wise to wait until the car runs out of gas before you start looking for a gas station? I don't think so. Is it wise to wait until after sex to use some form of protection? I don't think so. The same is true for Black Nationalism. We must start building a Black Nation now. That way, it will be there to protect Us when that stinky stuff hits the fan once and for all.

Nothing is born complete. When a woman gives birth, she does not give light to an adult, she gives light to a baby that grows into adulthood over time. When a person starts a new business, that business has to grow and develop before it becomes a successful business. What that business is the first day its doors are open is not what it will be fifteen or twenty years later. The same is true for a process like Black Nationalism. You can't wait until all of the pieces are in place before you start building it because it is the building process that enables the pieces to mature and come together. Therefore, if you don't give it light and give it the opportunity to grow, it will never be able to serve your interests. Plain common sense is all it takes to understand that.

Remember: We are Black People, We are not dark skinned white people. We need a Nation of Our own.

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